Safety jewel-chest.



.,lLCHMARSOW. SAFETY JEWEL CHEST.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.25, 1911.

Patented June 11, 1912.

HUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN SCHMARSOW, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY JEWEL-CHEST.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known thatI, HERMAN SoHMARsow, a citizen of' Germany, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Safety Jewel-Chest, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a chest of novel construction for containing money, jewelry and other valuables, in which an alarm 1s automatically set off as soon as the device is shifted along or raised off its support.

Means are also provided for starting the alarm each time the chest is opened by false keys or by special keys in the possession of employees, etc., while a. master key intended for the exclusive. use of the owner will open the box without setting off the alarm.

The chest is further provided with means for sounding the valarm in case the lid is pried open, said means being so constructed, however, as to be rendered ineffective when the cover is raised after properly opening the chest-lock.

In 'the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a plan of a chest embodying my invention, showing the chest opened and the false bottom removed; Fig. 2 an enlarged vertical section on line 2 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 an inner view partly in section of the chest-front; Fig. 4 a detail of the contact lever for the alarm mechanism; Fig. 5 an enlarged vertical section on line 5A-5, Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 a wiring diagram.

Upon the bottom of the metal chest A is mounted an insulating plate 11 that supports the alarm mechanism proper, the latter being normally covered by a false bot# tom 12 which rests on ledges 13 of plate 11. Into a central perforation of plate 11 is fitted an inverted cup-shaped member 14, the open mouth thereof registering with a corresponding central opening 15 of bottom 10. Cup 14 is provided with an upwardly extending tubular stem or sleeve 16 in which is slidably mounted a plunger 17, the latter being normally depressed by a suitable spring 18. Into a lower eye l19 of plunger 17, isinserted an S-shaped link 20 from which depends a disk or shoe 21.l the lower face of said shoe being covered with a layer 22 of felt, rubber or similar friction increasing material. Plunger 17 is trav- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 25, 1911.

Patented June 11, 1912.

Serial No. 662,261.

ersed by a horizontal pin 23 that is accommodated within corresponding slots 24 of stem 16 and has a bent end 25 adapted to engage a contact spring 26 which is mounted on plate 11. The other straight end of pin 23 is adapted to be engaged by the arm 27 formed on an oscillating rod 28 that is mounted in suitable brackets 29 of plate 11. Rod 28 is provided with a hand Alever 23a lpcated in proximity to the front 30 of chest and projecting upward through a Corresponding slot of false bottom 12.

The alarm proper consists of a pair of electromagnets 31, the vibratory armature 32 of which carries a hammer 33 adapted to be thrown against the rear plate 34 of chest A, thereby giving the desired alarm. The spripg 35 of armature =32 is adapted to engage a contact screw V36 tapped into a post 37 of plate 11. Below screw36, there is rotatably mounted on post 37, a contact lever 38, a coiled spring 39 tending to turn said lever 'in the direction of the arrow e (Fig. 1). The forward arm of lever 38 carries a button 40 which is adapted to be engaged by arm 27 of vrod 28, while the beveled `rear arm of lever 38 is adapted to engage a nose 41 of armature 32. In proximity to the rear arm of lever 38, there is further mounted upon plate 11 a post 42, traversed by a contact pin 43 which is adapted to be engaged by said rear arm. Contact spring 2G is by wire 44, connected to post 37, while a wire 45 leads from armature 32 to a battery 46. The latter is, by wire 47 connected to electromagnets 31 which are in turn by wire 48 connected to post 42, said post being by wires 49, 50 connected to post 37.

As thus far described, the operation is as follows: After the chest has been transferred to its proper keeping place,fthe lid 51 thereof is opened and handle 28a is swung toward the right (Figs. 1 and 2), so that arm 27 will engage pin 23 thereby raising the latter together within plunger 17 against the action of spring 18. The correlation of the parts is such that when plunger 17 is fully raised, disk 21 will be lifted slightly off its support, so as to insure a true vertical alinement of the parts 17, 20 and 21 by gravity. Handle 28al is now returned into its original position, thereby withdrawing arm 27 from pin 23, while the parts 17, 2O and 2l will retain their vertically alined position, thereby preventing a descent of plunger 17 and pin 23 (Fig. 2). Lid 51 is finally closed and locked by properly turning the master key Within lock 52. If chest A is now shifted along its support, disk 21 will not participate in this movement owing to its friction upon said support, so that the parts 21, 20 and 17 will be brought out of vertical aliiicment, whereby plunger 17 loses its support. In this way, spring 18 is free to lower the plunger, so as to bring pin 23 into engagement with contact 26, thereby closing an electric circuit, the current flowing from source of electricity 46 through wire 47, electromagnets 31, Wires 48, 42, 49 50, stem 16, plunger 17, pin 23, Contact 26, wire 44, post 37, screw 36, armature spring 35 and Wire 45 back to source 46. In this way, armature 32 and hammer 33 will be oscillated owing to the alternating breaking and closing of the electromagnet circuit, as will be readily understood. The alarm will continue to ring until lid 51 is opened and lever 28a is again manip` ulated to raise plunger 17 and thereby break contact between the parts 23, 26. Y It is obvious that the alarm will not only be set off upon a shifting of the chest along its support, but also upon a lifting of the chest oft said support, in which case the plunger 17 will be free to descend to close the electric circuit. hereinabove referred to.

Additional means are provided for setting off the alarm if a spurious key or a key specially prepared for employees is used for opening the chest. These means are shown to consist of a contact stud 53 insulated from the metallic lock case 54 and conductively connected by a bridge 55 to an insulated binding post 56, the latter being by wire 57 connected to contact spring 26. Stud 53 is so located with respect to the key-pivot. 58that the master key, part of the contour of which is indicatedby the dotted line 59 in Fig. 5, will clear said stud. The employees key 60, however, is so profiled (full lilies in Fig. 5) that during its rotation it will touch stud 53 and thereby close an. electric circuit, the current flowing as follows: from battery 46 through wire 47, electromagnets 31, wires 48, 49, 61, metallic 'case 54, key 60, stud 53, bridge 55, post 56, Wire 57, spring 26, wire 44, post 37, screw 36, armature spring 35 and wire 45 back to battery 46. As after the first attraction of the armature 32, nose 41 will clearlever 38, spring 39 is thus free to tilt said lever into engagement. with pin 43. An auxiliary circuit is thus formed which causes a continu` ance of the alarm, even after key 60 has cleared stud 53, the current flowing from battery '46 through Wire 47, electromagnets 31, Wire 48, post 42, pin 43, lever 38, post 37, screw 36, armature spring 35 and wire 45 back to battery 46. For discontinuing the alarm, lid 51 is opened and handle 28a is once oscillated, whereby arm 29 by engaging button 40 Will swing lever 38 in a directionopposite to arrow a (Fig. 1) until said lever falls in behind nose 41 and is thus locked in position. In this way the flow of the electric current from pin 43 to lever 38 is interrupted and the alarm silenced.

Further additional means are provided which sound the alarm, if the lid 51 of chest- A is fraudulently pried open, such means consisting ofaV stud 62 depending from said lid and adapted to engage a contact spring 63 secured to one of the lock bolts 64. The bent free end of spring 63 is adapted to engage a pin 65 insulated from case 54 and connected by wire 66, to post 56 and consequently to wire 57. The relative arrangement of parts 63 and 65 is 'suchthat upon a partial raising of lid 51, spring 63 will come into contact with pin 65 to close a circuit. The current of this circuit flows-from wire 66 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the contact between parts 53, 60, the latter being replaced by the parts 63, 65. The alarm will thus also continue to be sounded, even after the prying tool has been Withdrawn from underneath lid 51. The last described alarm sounding means are rendered ineffective when the bolt 64 is retracted by the manipulation of a proper key, in which case the bent end of spring 63 is shifted beyond pin65, so that said spring will not come into contact with pin 65 even after stud 62 has cleared spring 63 during the opening of the lid.

Although the means for automatically continuing the alarm after being set ofi1 have been described in connect-ion with the insertion of a spurious key into the chest lock, it is obvious that these means are likewise set in action as soon as the circuit has been closed by lifting, shifting or otherwise tampering with the chest. In this way, the latter is fully protected against any attempts to remove or fraudulently open the same.

I claim:

1. A chest having an apertured bottom, a tubular sleeve extending upwardly therefrom, a spring-influenced plunger slidable in said sleeve, a link depending from the plunger, a friction shoe depending from said link, the shoe and link being accommodated witliin the bottom aperture, an electric alarm within' the chest, and an alarm circuit controlled by the plunger.

2. A chest provided with an inverted cupsliaped member inserted int/o the chest-bottom, a tubular sleeve extending upwardly from said member, a spring-influenced plunger slidable in said sleeve, a link depending from the plunger, a friction shoe depending from said link, the shoe and link being accommodated lwithin the cup-shaped member, an electric alarm Within the chest, and spring, an electric alarm within the chest,

an alarm circuit controlled by the plunger. and an electric alarm circuit controlled by 3. A chest provided with a lid, a locksaid contact spring and pin.

bolt for said lid, a contact spring carried by HERMAN SCHMARSOW. 5 said bolt, a stud depending from the lid and l/Vitnesses:

adapted to engage the contact spring, a fixed ARTHUR E. ZUMPE,

contact pin adapted to be engaged by the KATHERYNE KOCH. 

